Pokemon: Black and White
by Kat Amaya
Summary: Athena Jones is finally 13, and can go on a Pokemon Journey with her two best friends, Cheren and Bianca! She starts seeing people from a reoccurring dream she's had for seven years along the way, and gets sucked into a very serious situation in which she must stop Team Plasma from liberating the world's Pokemon!
1. Prologue

**Update:**

**Hey you guys! For those of you who didn't get to read the update before this one, I restarted my fanficiton. I wasn't satisfied with what I had, and now I believe that I can have good consistency in my writing style. For those of you who are new to this fanfiction, welcome! I hope you enjoy reading! ~Kat**

"_**Pokemon: Black and White"**_

Prologue

She wandered alone with a strange and enigmatic feeling looming over her. She had never experienced such a feeling before; it somehow felt... empty.. like all of the life was sucked out of her. It wasn't long before she realized that she had _no body._ It was as if she was a mere spirit, lingering around with no place to go. The young girl was confused and frightened by the still darkness that surrounded her for miles without end. She frantically searched for the slightest sign of light—of happiness... But neither was in sight.

Suddenly, the blackness faded away and was followed by a grassy, forest-like area. None of the trees swayed with a warm, spring breeze. There was no glowing, balmy sun in the sky. Actually, there was no sky... Just a paper white ceiling with yellow lights shining down onto this bizarre place.

An animal-like creature appeared slowly from the bushes. It had a small bum that pointed upwards slightly, and a circular crimson colored body, almost resembling a tear drop. It had short hind legs, long and powerful gorilla-like arms, and thick, meaty fingers curled up into tight fists on the ground. Two long, red and yellow flame-like eyebrows shot upwards above it's perfectly circular, jet black eyes. These features gave the impression that the creature was always angry. But what stood out the most, was the its _huge _mouth full of pointy white teeth, shaped so that it looked like it was smiling evilly. Despite it's intimidating appearance, she felt as if the creature, that she knew as a _Pokemon, _was sullen. She noticed bruises and scars all over it's immense body, and felt as if the Pokemon could cry at any given moment.

A small boy stumbled out of the same bush and ran to the Pokemon. His long, green hair wrapped in a low pony tail trailed behind him. He attempted to put his pale arms, miniscule in comparison, around it, but couldn't make it nearly all the way. This boy had a peculiar feel to him... He had cloudy green eyes that stared off into space continuously, and skin snow white. The Pokemon lovingly nudged the boy and wrapped one of its massive arm around him. He smiled warmly and snuggled with the Pokemon for a time before the scene changed once again.

This time, it was a long, auditorium-like room with a shiny marble floor that reflected the light of the candles gracefully hung along the walls. An outstretched, crimson carpet was laid out, leading to a golden thrown. Sitting in the thrown was a homely man with a broad nose, evilly narrowed gray eyes, one being covered by a solid red eye-patch outlined with silver, and a gruesome scar across his cheek. He was wearing gaudy robes that bore a creepy, murderous eye on the front. The robe's neck was much like the roof of a castle, and he had long, out-of-control green hair that fell past his collar bone. In his lap rested a gold, jewel incrusted crown only suited for a king. Many others crowed the room around the carpet, all of them in fancy robes like he.

The front doors of the building swung open and a hush came across the crowd. The same boy from before ambled down the outstretched carpet with his head held low slightly, giving the impression that he was deep in thought. He still had his green hair that fell to the middle of his back tied low, as well as those soft and hazy eyes. The boy had definitely aged; appearing now to be an early teenager. Many white bearded men in tall, wooden hats surrounded him as he continued to step towards the thrown, as if he was an extremely important person to be protected.

He paused in front of the man in the thrown, silent as a grave. The man stood up slowly, the crown glistening in his hands, as the boy lifted his head to make eye contact. He held the crown high above his head, signaling the bearded men to disperse with their head held low and hands folded in front of them.

Unexpectedly, a rush of emotion came over the girl. Something about this... about _them... _was evil, beastly, corrupt, spiteful... But what was it? She felt an immense chill as the man lowered the crown closer and closer to the boy's head. _No. _She thought. _No, no, no... _If she had had a body, it would be quaking terribly, and sweat would most certainly cover her. This terrible feeling of dismay was too much for such a young girl. She wanted it all to stop. This feeling, this ceremony, the suspense... The crown was not even an inch away from the boy's head. _No, no, no! Stop! No more! _She tried to cry, but nothing came out. She was unable to prevent this from happening. She was unable to prevent this foreboding and just plain bloodcurdling feeling from taking over. At last, the incrusted crown was placed gently upon his head and a roar of cheers shrilled in her ears. She tried with all her might to scream, a scream so ear-splitting and full of fear that it could wake the dead, but still nothing came out. She looked around more frantically than before, glancing at all the somehow happy faces in that massive room. Could this get any more twisted? Any more horrendous or horrifying? The room was starting to spin. Quicker and quicker it rotated around the girl as the smiling faces came closer and closer. A sharp pain pierced the girl as she tried to cry and scream even more. _Stop...! _She tried to yell. _Please! Just stop! Stop! NO!_

She opened her eyes and shot up, shrieking in terror. Her breathing was heavy as she felt her forehead with her tiny hands and around her big, icy blue eyes. She realized that her face was completely soaked in a combination of tears and freezing cold sweat. The light of the full moon filled her room, overflowing with colorful Pokemon plushies. The young girl hugged her knees and started to sob, wanting to forget that horrifying nightmare she'd just had, and never wanting to feel such a horrible feeling ever again.

"Athena!" Her mother and father gasped as they burst through the door.

She raised her head slowly, tears still coming out of her innocent eyes. "Mommy... Daddy...!" Athena cried as she reached her arms out to her parents.

They rushed to her bedside and her father scooped Athena up into his arms. "Did our little goddess have a bad dream...?" he asked.

She sniffled. "Y-yeah! There was an evil man putting a king's crown on this boy with a pony tail... and people were happy, but it was bad! Oh, _Daddy, _it was so _scary!" _

Her mother stroked Athena's head as she buried her face in her father's shoulder. "Oh, honey, it's alright... it was just a bad dream. It's all over now."

"I-It was _so_ scary! No one could hear me, and no one was there with me! Not you, not Daddy, Cheren, _or_ Bianca!"

"It must have been so horrible..." her father said, comfortably.

"Yeah..."

"Don't you worry. We're not going _anywhere. _Not me, not Mommy, Cheren, _or _Bianca."

She lifted her head. "R-really...? You promise?"

He lifted his pinkie up. "Pinkie promise."

She smiled and locked pinkies with her father, who she was so dearly close to, just like her mother. They gave Athena some more comforting pep talks before putting her back to bed and leaving the room. Feeling at ease and a great deal happier, she drifted off into a deep sleep.

"Athenaaaa!"

She was woken up with a start; her bed was shaking as Athena's body was lifted off her mattress again and again. Suddenly, a small body fell on top of her pink-covered self, and the breath was knock out of her. Athena turned on her back and pulled of the covers, then saw those familiar gleaming emerald eyes of one of her best friends, Bianca. Her short baby blonde hair was in a mess as usual, and a big smile was spread across her lips.

"Good morning, Athena!" Bianca cheered. "Time to play!"

"Hi, Bianca!" She said, sitting up and giving her friend a hug.

"Sorry, Athena... I told her not to do that." Cheren sheepishly apologized.

Her other best friend, Cheren, was standing at her bedside. His night black hair was neatly combed and over his royal blue eyes was a pair of glasses that he was constantly readjusting.

"Well it worked, right?" Bianca teased. "She's awake!"

His hand met his forehead. "Bianca..."

"No, it's okay!" Athena smiled. "I'm up! I'll get dressed so that we can go out and play!"

"Okay!" Bianca said while climbing off her bed and pushing Cheren out of the room with her. "We'll be downstairs!"

"W-wait, Bianca!" Athena could hear Cheren call once they were out of the room. "If you keep pushing, we'll—GAH!" A number of bangs and crashes played in a row downstairs. "...fall." she heard him groan.

"So, what do you three plan on doing today?" Athena's father asked them as she trotted down the stairs.

"We're gonna play!" Bianca cheered.

He laughed. "But of course!"

"Where are you guys planning on going today?" Her mother asked while putting Athena's extraordinarily fluffy brown hair into a pony tail, like every morning.

"We dunno," Athena told her. "But we'll find somewhere!"

"As always," Her father said. "You guys always find _someway _to have fun."

"Yup!" she giggled. "Thanks, Mommy! We're going now!"

"Alright then. Be safe, okay?" she called.

"Okay! Bye bye!"

Nuvema Town was the smallest in the Unova Region, consisting of a supermarket, a Pokemon Research Lab, and exactly ten houses. Athena, Cheren, and Bianca's houses were all neighboring each other, so it made it that much more convenient for them to meet up every day and play. You'd think that three six year old children walking around by themselves would be dangerous, but not here. Not one crime had ever been committed in this small town. It was as if everyone there was part of one big family, with the three of them centered in the middle. _Everyone _knew them. They truly were the town's "three musketeers."

Soon they found themselves at the town's lake, glistening yellow and orange from the pleasantly glowing sun shining down upon them. They all rested at the end of the old wooden dock and splashed their feet in the clear, crystal water.

"Oh! I forgot!" Athena said suddenly. "I had a really bad dream last night..."

"A nightmare?" Cheren asked.

"What's it about?" Bianca added as she continued to stir the water below with her tiny feet.

"Hm..." Athena looked up at the sky for a long moment. "It was like... I wasn't there, but I could see what was going on. I was watching things happen like we watch cartoons, kinda."

"Oh! Then, it wasn't all bad, right?" Bianca asked cheerfully, thrusting her feet into the water a couple of times.

"No, it was bad. Evil! A boy was hugging a reeeeeeally big red Pokemon," She stretched her arms out as far as they could for effect. "that was all sad and stuff. Then, I saw that same little boy when he was a big kid! He got a king's crown put on his head in front of bunches of people!"

"But what's so bad about that?" Cheren observed while wiping some of the water off of his glasses and casting Bianca an annoyed look.

"It just was." Athena put simply. "I felt really scared for some reason! I _never _wanna feel that scared ever _again!"_

"Hmmmmm..." Bianca hummed. "So that was _you _screaming last night?"

"Y-you heard...?"

"Hey, you guys, look over there!" Cheren told them. He pointed behind them, where two of the older kids in Nuvema Town stood across from each other with tense body language. The three of them got up and turned around to see what was about to happen.

"Go, Minccino!" yelled the older girl. She threw a baseball sized red and white ball into the air. The three of them watched in complete awe as the ball opened like a mouth while rays of sparkling red shot out of it. These mysterious red rays of light hit the ground and formed in the shape of a Pokemon. It was short with big ears and a long, furry tail that curved up. The red lights vanished and left a gray and furry little Pokemon. It had a rat nose and big, blue eyes.

Athena and Bianca swooned. "Woah! What was _that?"_

"I think my parents read to me about this once. Um... I think that those are called _Pokeballs..._"

"Pokeballs? Do you know more?" Athena asked eagerly. However, his answer was cut by the older boy's yell.

"Steal the show, Sawk!" he shouted. He, too, threw his Pokeball that shot red rays of light that hit the ground and morphed into the shape of a Pokemon. The light vanished once again and showed a new Pokemon. It was tall and shaped almost like a person. It's skin was like flat, cracked diamonds the color of the lake were glued to his body. It was wearing a karate uniform and had a black belt tied around it's waist.

"Kinda scary..." Bianca cowered.

"Now what, Cheren? What happens next?" Athena asked.

"Minccino, use Swift!"

"Sawk, doge it and use Brick Break!"

The two Pokemon jumped into action and started to round at each other with different moves. Athena and Bianca gasped at the sight of them trying to hurt one another.

"What's going on?!" Bianca shrieked. "The poor Pokemon!"

"Cheren, why are they hurting each other?!"

"It's okay, stop crying." he reassured them. "I think this is called a _Pokemon Battle... _And they're normal."

"Really...?" They asked. "I wonder which one will win?" Athena pondered.

"The bigger one, of course." Cheren told her. "It's stronger than that one!"

She puffed out her cheeks. "How do _you _know? Just because that one's little doesn't mean it's not strong, too!"

"It's _obvious_ that Sawk will win, though!"

_"No! _Minccino could win if it tried!"

Cheren snicked. "Yes.. Maybe when Trubish fly."

"Maybe _you_ should fly!" she mocked, not fully understanding what she'd just said and sticking out her tongue.

They continued to watch the battle. It was so fun and entertaining to watch! Sawk was strong and powerful, but a bit slow. Minccino was fast and agile, but not nearly as big or as enduring as it's opponent. The three of them watched the battle as if in a tans, wanting to see how it would all unfold. Finally, Minccino looked as if it was on it's last leg.

"Ha! See, I told you, Athena! Sawk is about to win!"

"Don't count your Pokemon before they hatch, Cheren!" she insisted. "It isn't over yet!"

"Minccino, use Charm!" yelled the Girl Trainer.

"Charm?" Questioned all three of them.

Suddenly, the Minccino batted it's eyelashes and made itself look cuter by widening it's eyes and looking up at Sawk. Little pink hearts filled Sawk's eyes and it stopped trying to attack.

"What?! Sawk, come on! Use Retaliate!" yelled the Boy Trainer. Sawk did nothing. "Hey, Sawk! Are you okay? Come one, finish it! Use Retaliate!" Sawk, yet again, did not obey. "What did you do to my Sawk, Elizabeth?!"

Elizabeth chuckled. "I made your Sawk temporarily fall in love with my Minccino, Jake. He's immobilized by love!"

"You did _what?!_" Jake yelled.

"Minccino, keep on using Fury Swipes, then finish it off with Take Down on my signal!" And so it did. It continuously slashed at Sawk's face with it's sharp claws. "Ready..." Minccino took one last hard swipe at Sawk's face before pushing off of his forehead with its rabbit like foot, back flipping back onto the ground. "Now! Use Take Down!" Minccino jumped at Sawk and knocked him down to the ground so hard that a great deal of dirt and dust flew into the air in the form of a heavy cloud that blinded the three's vision of the battle. They all shielded their eyes after getting some residue into them, then eagerly looked back over once the cloud had cleared. Sawk was on the ground, unconscious with swirls instead of eyes.

Athena's eyes widened with happiness as well as her smile. "Yes! Yes! I told you, Cheren! I told you! Yay, Minccino! WHOOHOO!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. She was so excited, so exhilarated, and felt so alive! Athena was so loud that she caught the attention of the two Trainers who hadn't noticed them in the midst of their battle.

"Good job, Sawk. You tried your best." said Jake in a murmur. He opened his Pokeball by pushing the top and bottom together, releasing the latch. The red light engulfed Sawk, then went back into the ball, only leaving the imprint of his body on the ground.

"Minccino, _great_ job! You make me so proud! Take a rest." Elizabeth told her Pokemon. She also opened her tired Pokemon. The Trainers both walked over to them.

"Hi, you guys! Were you watching just now?" asked Elizabeth.

"Hello Ms. Elizabeth, hello Mr. Jake!" Athena smiled warmly. The three of them had known Jake and Elizabeth for as long as they could remember.

"Yes, we were watching. Sorry if that was nosy.." Cheren aplogized.

"No, don't be! We're happy that you guys found our battle so entertaining!" said Jake.

"So, Elizabeth won the battle, right?" Bianca asked.

Jake laughed. "Unfortunately, yes. Her Minccino beat my Sawk."

"She sure did! You'll probably get me next time, though." Elizabeth toyed.

"Wait, why aren't you sad? Aren't you disappointed you lost?" Cheren asked Jake.

"Well, of course I am. But I know my Pokemon tried it's best, so I'm not so bummed. Actually, the battle was really fun! I'm glad we had it! Plus, each battle is just making my Pokemon and I closer."

"But what's more important than winning...?" Cheren asked in almost a whisper. No one had heard him.

"Closer...? What do you mean?" Athena asked curiously, eager to learn more.

"Elizabeth! Time for lunch! You can bring Jake, too!" called a voice from a nearby house. They recognized it as Elizabeth's mother.

"Sorry, you guys. Maybe next time, okay?" Jake told them.

"Bye, you three!"

"Good bye!" They called.

Athena was pretty let down—she wanted to learn as much as she could about these _Pokemon Battles _and _Pokeballs... _And everything in between. It was all just so _interesting _to her. She wanted to try it for herself; watch her own Pokemon try its best and win a battle. So she turned to the smartest person she knew.

"Cheren!" Athena cried. "Do you know anymore about Pokemon Battles and stuff?"

"No, not much...Sorry, Athena."

"Awh! Dang it! I wanna know more!"

"Why don't we go ask your Dad, Athena? He knows bunches of things about stuff!" Bianca suggested.

"Good idea! Let's go back!"

Athena burst through the door of her house to find her parents just sitting down for lunch. They looked at the three of them curiously.

"Athena! We were just about to call you guys in for lunch. Why did you come back?" Her mother asked.

"Because I need to ask Daddy some stuff!" She told her while sitting down at the table along with her friends. "Important stuff!"

"Is that so?" he asked. "Go for it."

"Tell us what you know about Pokemon Battles! And Pokeballs!"

Her parents exchanged looks. "Why so suddenly?"

"We saw Jake and Elizabeth do a Pokemon Battle! And it was cool!" Bianca told him.

He chuckled. "I see... Well, a Pokeball is where you keep the Pokemon that you've caught from the wild. Pokeballs keep them safe from any harm and makes it easier to carry them around with you everywhere you go."

"Wow! Everywhere?" Athena asked.

"Yes! Every Pokemon you catch become part of your _Pokemon Team. _You battle with other trainers to make your Pokemon stronger, and build better bonds with them."

"How does that work?" Cheren wondered.

"Well you see, by battling according to the demands of its trainer, trust builds between them. When trust builds, so does friendship. That way, you and your Pokemon become like family over a period of time."

"Does becoming friends with your Pokemon make them stronger?" Cheren asked.

"In a way, most certainly. The trainer does, also."

"But... why do you want you're Pokemon to be strong?" said Bianca.

"What's more important than being strong? It obvious." Cheren interjected before Athena's father could answer.

"Ah, Cheren... There are many things that are more important than just becoming strong. You might not realize that now, but you will in due time." he glanced over at Athena for a short moment. "Trust me."

"Hmm?" he hummed in confusion.

"Never mind that. Anyways, to answer your question, Bianca, there are many different reasons why someone would want to make their Pokemon Team stronger. Now you see, when you three turn thirteen, you will go on a long journey with Pokemon alone."

"Eh?" Athena gasped. "Daddy and Mommy won't come with me...? Not even Cheren or Bianca?"

"You three can travel together if you want to, and I suggest you do when that time comes. However, Mommy and Daddy can't. This _Pokemon Journey _is when you become an adult, and adults don't need their parents to help them with everything, right?"

"Right..."

"So, you three will be out on your own. During this journey, you can aim to be whatever you want to be with your Pokemon. A doctor, a baker, a Pokemon professor, a Gym Leader, the Champion..."

Athena and Cheren both shot up when he said champion. "There's a Pokemon Champion?"

"Yes. The Champion is the strongest of the strong. He or she is the best Pokemon Trainer in his or her region."

"How do you get to be the Champion?" They asked.

"On your journey, you'll have to travel to many different towns and cities to challenge their Gyms. There, you will battle with a Gym Leader and get a badge if you win. Collect eight of those badges, and then you can go and challenge the Elite Four. Beat the Elite Four, you get to challenge the Champion. Beat the Champion, and _you're _the new Champion of the Unova Region."

"Get eight Gym Badges, beat the Elite Four..." Athena started.

"Beat the Champion, then _you're _the _new _Champion?" Cheren finished.

"That's right."

"Okay! I know what I wanna do on my journey!" Athena announced white standing up on her seat. "I'm gonna become the Champion! I'll be great friends with _all _my Pokemon, so that way, we'll all be so strong that no one could beat us! We'll be one big, happy family! Just like all of us in Nuvema Town, Daddy!" She turned to Cheren and Bianca. "How about you guys? What are you gonna do?"

"Becoming Champion, huh... I could get so much power and respect from others... Alright. I'll try to become the Champion of Unova, too."

"Yay!"

"Gee, I don't know what I'll do..." Bianca sighed.

"Well, you don't have to decide now, Bianca." Athena's father told her. "Just take your time. I will say this to all three of you though, so listen up." The three of them settled down, and his big, rounded yellow eyes softened. "You three should stay together, always. There's nothing more important than the friendship you three share with each other, and out there in the world, each other will be all that you have besides your Pokemon Team. Go out there and do what you want to do, be who you want to be... and don't let _anybody _get in the way of your dreams. Only _you_ can make them come true, you know. Just be yourself, and enjoy the time you've got.."

A wave of silence came over all of them as their little minds tried to soak in all that he had said. "...Okay, Daddy!" Athena voiced. "I'll make _all_ my dreams come true! No matter what! I promise!" She held out her pinkie. "So don't worry!"

He slipped his massive finger into her's. "Good. I'm glad to hear that.."

They all smiled warmly and laughed whole-heartedly. Athena hadn't even thought about that awful nightmare since they watched the Pokemon Battle between Jake's Sawk and Elizabeth's Minccino. She felt so happy, so alive... she never wanted this feeling of such love to go away. She never wanted her friends, or her parents to go away. Athena was overjoyed and thankful for everything she had, but couldn't wait to start her journey once she turned thirteen. She'd try her best to always remember her father's words and really take them to heart.

This is where it all started for Cheren, Bianca, and most of all, Athena. They were completely unaware of what would happen to them while they were on their Pokemon Journeys in seven years. In fact, I don't think anyone could have predicted what lay ahead for these three; Especially the little girl who had the nightmare, Athena Jones.


	2. Chapter 1: Decision Day

**Author's Note: Hey, hey, hey, guys! It's been awhile, hasn't it? After a case of writer's block and _many _technical difficulties, I've finally posted the first chapter of my newly revived Pokemon: Black and White fanfiction! Yay! I hope you guys don't hate me for taking so long ;~; There was a bit of writer's block, but the huge obstacle was that there were many thing wrong with my laptop that I had to get fixed, and no internet ^^" I'll be going to the library to post the chapters, so expect some delays from time to time. Well, I hope you all enjoy my revised fanfiction ^-^ ~Kat **

"_**Pokemon: Black and White"**_

Chapter 1: Decision Day

Athena woke up abruptly, covered in icy cold sweat once again. She wiped the familiar salty tears away from her glistening eyes and stood up straight against her wooden bed frame. She grabbed the soft pink towel she kept close to her beside, forced herself out of bed and started to dry herself off. She stared out her window at the cool spring morning; jasmines and cherry blossoms bloomed all over Nuvema Town and filled the air with a sweet and balmy scent. Bird Pokemon soared peacefully through the clear, Colombia blue sky as they chirped a sweet melody. Athena sighed, fixed her gaze upon a single cherry tree, then drifted off into deep thought yet again.

Four times... Four times this month that same dream occurred from her childhood; that was a little less than usual. Regularly, that dream would have replayed at least _six_ times by the middle of May...

That same nightmare from seven long years ago still haunted her for many, many nights of each year. So many that she actually charted which nights she'd have it so that she could prepare by having a towel and some sleeping pills nearby. The dates would sometimes vary, but it didn't change the fact that that nightmare played much too frequently to be unimportant. What did this dream mean...? How are those events in any way relevant to her life...? It just didn't make sense. Nowadays, Athena had the level of vocabulary to explain in detail the nightmare that had been looming over her like a foul ghost to her best friends, Cheren and Bianca. However, they too, could never come up with a logical conclusion.

Throwing the damp towel aside along with those thoughts, she got the feeling that she was forgetting something... something important. Glancing over at the clock with skinny, pixelated digits that read 8:07am, it all came to her. Excitement spread through her veins and over took her body within an instant as she darted for her closet. _Today's the day! _She thought gleefully as she got dressed and did her unusually fluffy dark brown hair in a pony tail.

Some time later, some politely gentle knocks played in a row at her door. Athena knew for a fact who it was even before he came in.

"Pardon me for intruding.." Cheren apologized as he walked into her room. He pushed his silver glasses up the bridge of his slender nose and over his rounded-almond royal blue eyes. "Good morning, Athena."

"'Morning, Cheren!" she said with a broad smile. "Where's Bianca?"

"I'm afraid she is just now getting ready..." he sighed, crossing his arms in a mature way. "I walked over there before arriving here to wake her up. I knew she would sleep in, _as always..."_

"I figured as much.." she laughed awkwardly.

"Anyways, where is the package the Professor left? It _is _here, correct?"

"Ah! That's right!" she remembered. "Mom said that it'd be right..." Athena turned around and spotted a navy blue gift box, tied with an elegant forest green ribbon laced with white on her work desk. "There!"

He studied the box, as if it could have been a fake. "Very well." he nodded. "Now all we have to do is wait for Bianca."

"Right."

There was an extremely long pause as Athena and Cheren dully stared around the room, not knowing what to possibly do while they waited for their friend. He tapped his foot repeatedly on the hardwood floor as she leaned against the wall.

"It's the eighteenth," Cheren spoke suddenly.

"What?" she asked, being caught completely off guard.

"May eighteenth. Did you have that nightmare again? Or did it skip another date?"

"Oh! _That's _what you meant... Yeah," she put simply. "Fifth time."

"Any changes?"

"No-"

The front door of her house slammed so hard that even they, on the second floor, could here it. Fast, vigorous foot steps met their ears as they both stayed clear of her door, preparing for impact. It swung open forcefully and revealed the short and petite figure of Bianca, her baby blonde hair in a mess under her green beret.

_"I'm here!" _she puffed, sweat dripping down the side of her face. "I'm sooooo sorry that I'm late-"

_"Again." _Cheren finished for her. "I've know that you are a scatter brain for thirteen years now, but _honestly, _Bianca... You have the strangest habit of being late on such important events!"

She pulled her beret down over her eyes and her head hung low. "I know, I know... I'm sorry, Cheren... Sorry, Athena..."

"Don't worry about it, Bianca." She told her. "Let's just choose, already! I can't wait any longer!"

They stood in a line horizontal to the gift box resting on the desk, Cheren at Athena's left, and Bianca at her right. Bianca was the first to speak in the tense and anxious atmosphere. "So... Who's going first?" she asked in a small voice.

"Should we go oldest to youngest?" Cheren suggested.

"But I don't wanna go first!" Bianca protested. "It's too much _pressure! _Plus, Athena shouldn't go last!"

"I don't really care, just as long as I-"

_"No!_ Unacceptable! _You _should go first since they were delivered to _your _house!"

"Naturally," Cheren agreed.

"...Alright, then!" she gave in. "Here I go!"

Athena stepped towards the desk and picked up the note card on top of the gift box. It had a blue, cloud-like trim with little yellow bubbles. She read it aloud:

"'I've delivered three Pokemon along with this letter. You, Cheren, and Bianca each get to choose one. Please choose fairly! Well, my regards! Sincerely, Professor Juniper.'"

Her heart was a snare drum, beating rapidly in her chest as she grabbed the ends of the laced ribbon. She pulled slowly, feeling the soft ribbon beneath her slender fingers. The bow that was neatly tied around the gift box became undone so that Athena could lift the top off and look inside. On top of a little mount of straw laid three brand-new Pokeballs, gently reflecting the light of the room off of their smooth surfaces. The middle one baring a small fire symbol was Tepig, the fire-pig Pokemon. To the right, a Pokeball baring the symbol of water held Oshawott, the sea otter Pokemon. Then to the left was one with the symbol of grass, which was the grass snake Pokemon, Snivy. Inside one of these little baseball sized Pokeballs was Athena's very first Pokemon, waiting for her to choose it.

She stood there, dumbfounded as to which one she'd select. This wasn't choosing between flavors of ice cream—it was choosing which Pokemon would accompany her through out her long journey, and which Pokemon she'd grow with. She didn't want to make the wrong decision...

"Come on, Athena! You can do it!" Bianca cheered, attempting to lighten the pressure.

Cheren's hand met his forehead. "Bianca... I don't think that's helping anything."

"What?! Of _course_ it is! You're just too up tight!"

"Incorrect! You're just childish!"

Athena laughed at her friends as they continued to bicker childishly. Her gaze softened as she remembered her father's words; _You three should stay together, always. There's nothing more important than the friendship you three share with each other._ And with that, she made her decision. She turned her back to them once more and admired the Pokeball that she knew held the right starter Pokemon for her. Athena placed her hand on the middle one and wrapped her fingers firmly around it. She brought it to her mouth and kissed the top gently; it's cold surface tingled on her pink lips.

Turning back to her friends, she smiled broadly. "I chose Tepig! So, that leaves Snivy and Oshawott for you two!" she told them, even though she already knew for sure which one they'd choose.

"Yay! I'm gonna choose..." Bianca scurried up next to Athena. "Oshawott! You get that one, Cheren!"

"Hey, how come _you _get to choose my Pokemon for me?" Cheren asked, outraged. Both girls expressed gleefulness in their glowing smiles that melted away his icy barrier. A subtle smile spread across his lips as he pushed up his glasses and sighed. "Oh well. I wanted Snivy from the start, anyways."

Excitement started to build from the bottom of Athena's stomach as she said, "Oh, let's meet them! I want to meet my new Pokemon _right now!" _

"Great idea! I want our Pokemon to be best friends just like _we _are!" Bianca agreed.

"Hm. Getting our Pokemon acquainted with each other _would _be a good idea since we will all be traveling together... Alright. Let's."

Simultaneously, they threw their Pokeballs into the air and they all opened just like they saw seven years ago. The red rays of light hit the hardwood floor and morphed into the shape of three different Pokemon. The light vanished, and their three new Pokemon stared up into their new Trainers' eyes.

Oshawott was the Sea Otter Pokemon, and it was _extremely _cute! It's head was a perfect white circle, with one triangular, cobalt blue nub on either side. Its oval shaped nose the color of chocolate was right in the middle of its two, beady black eyes that gleamed in the light. Under its nose was a mouth shaped like an upside down V, and on its cheeks were little black freckles. The small and rounded main body of Oshawott was a beautiful light blue, and around its neck were two cloud-shaped parts of its body. A cream colored shell rested on its belly and the Pokemon's two beaver-like feet and tail were the same cobalt blue as its ears. Its had two small white arms at its sides that came to a rounded point. Oshawott was the perfect Pokemon for such a girly girl like Bianca, with its adorable appearance.

Snivy was the Grass Snake Pokemon, and it seemed very intelligent and calm. It was an S shaped Pokemon with a long pointed nose that curved upwards slightly and cinnabar colored, half circle eyes that gave it a continuously dull gaze. It had two little arms that were crossed and holding up its body were two stubby leaf-like legs. The end of its body acted as a tail with a bundle of ivy leafs growing out the end. Snivy's body was Kelly green as well as the top half of its head and the bottom half, belly, and little legs being a smooth cream color. A gold V rested on its chest and looped off of its shoulders. Athena giggled when she saw Snivy, because she couldn't help but think that it somehow resembled Cheren in a way.

Tepig certainly looked just as it was named. It was a small, fire piglet Pokemon. The top half of its body was wrapped in a dazzling bright orange, the bottom in a jet black. The same dark color covered the top half of its face and snout. The blanket of black also covered its two rabbit-like ears that shot straight up. The Pokemon looked up at its new master with its big, sunset orange eyes as its springy black tail wiggled around, a small red ball placed on the tip. Those great sparkling eyes filled with curiosity as they continued to observe the human before them.

All three of them crouched down in front of their new Pokemon. As Cheren formally introduced himself and Bianca wrapped Oshawott in a hug so tight that its little eyes could have popped out, Athena turned to Tepig. It cocked it's head slightly, those gleaming eyes still full of interest.

"Hi, there!" she spoke. "I'm Athena, and I chose you as my first Pokemon!" Tepig cocked his head in the opposite direction. "You see, it's been my dream ever since I was six to become the Champion of the Unova region! My father... he once told me not to let anything come in the way of my dreams, and I promised him that I'd make my dreams come true. So... do you think that you could help me keep that promise, Tepig?"

Tepig took it into consideration for a short moment, then promptly nodded his head to tell Athena that he'd help. The Pokemon was full of confidence and vigor, just like her. She picked up her new Pokemon and wrapped it in her arms. "Thank you," she told him softly, holding back the small tears in her eyes from thinking of her father, and remembering those words of wisdom that he had once told her.

Cheren noticed the tightness of her voice. "Athena, are you alright?"

She snapped out of her reminiscence and nodded her head. "Of course! We just got our first Pokemon! How could I _not _be alright?" she ended with a fake giggle.

Bianca shot up with her Oshawott still in her grasp, Cheren and Athena following. "I can't believe we're finally going to start our journey!" Bianca exclaimed.

"I know!" Athena agreed. "Incredible, isn't it?"

"Hey, I've got a _great _idea!" she told them. "Athena, put your Tepig down real quick!"

"Bianca, what do you have in mind?" Cheren asked her.

"Battle me, Athena! I wanna have my first Pokemon Battle _right now!" _she demanded playfully.

"But these Pokemon are still weak! Plus, there is no reason to have a Pokemon Battle indoors! Imagine the damage it could cause!" he warned.

"God, Cheren, it's fiiiiiine! Relax! Like you said, they're still weak!" she persisted. "Get ready, Athena, 'cuz here we come!"

And before she new it, Athena was being forced into her very first Pokemon battle. Not that she was nervous—Athena enjoyed a challenge, and was rather excited to see what her Tepig could do.

Oshawott leaped out of Bianca's arms and planted her feet firmly on the ground, ready for battle. "You ready, Oshawott?" She nodded her head determinedly.

"Alright! Let's go Tepig!"

"Wait, I still think you two are being much too-"

"Oshawott, use Tackle!"

"Tepig, dodge it!"

"...rash."

Oshawott ran towards Tepig with great speed. He agilely tumbled to the side as Oshawott tried to thrust her body upon him. "Now, use tackle!" Athena shouted.

Tepig rounded onto Oshawott, knocking her into the TV and creating a big crack in the middle. Athena's fashionable purple carpet had also been damaged, along with her Wii Console being rolled to the other side of the room. Cheren tried to get their attention for a moment, but failed—they were too concentrated on their battle.

"Ouch! I bet that hurt! I'm definitively not gonna let you do that again!" Bianca yelled In outrage. "Oshawott, use Leer!"

Oshawott narrowed her black eyes as her mouth twisted into an evil smile, teeth bared. She glared down at Tepig, sending chills up his little spine. Taking advantage of his defenselessness, Bianca yelled "Use tackle!"

She thrust her body onto Tepig, making him topple into Athena's dresser. The tall wooden dresser smashed against the wall violently, causing many drawers to fall out and multiple pictures and awards that were so neatly hung up to hit the ground. Once again, Cheren tried to get them to notice, but there was no hope in them stopping anymore.

Tepig shot right back up after impact and glared back at Oshawott. Athena knew that he was angry as hell, and wanted revenge. She liked that. "Quick, use Ember!"

Although she knew that Ember was a higher level move, somehow she knew for sure that Tepig could generate his rage into the flaming bits of fire that knocked Oshawott of her feet. She hit the wall next to Athena's bed, knocking even more pictures and awards off her shelf. As she landed on her bed, the blankets and sheets got wrapped and tangled around the frantically fidgeting Pokemon. Athena giggled, and decided to take advantage of the amusing situation.

"Tepig, finish it off with another Tackle!"

"_No! Foul, foul! _Oshawott, dodge it! Use Bubblebeam! Do _something!"_

Trying to obey her trainer's orders, Oshawott got even more tangled in Athena's bed covers and rolled off the bed. Tepig rammed himself into her side, sliding her unconscious body under the bed. Tepig blew black smoke from his nostrils and trotted in place—he was very pleased with his performance.

Athena's face was absolutely _beaming. _It was like that same rush of excitement she got from watching a Pokemon battle, but even _better! _She felt so alive and pumped! Athena punched the air with all her might and shouted, _"Alright! _Tepig, you were _amazing!" _She felt the rush of vigor flowing through her veins and loved it. This feeling of being on top of the world, of being so overwhelmed by such exhilaration, was the best feeling in the world for her.

Bianca retrieved her Pokemon from under the bed and held her close. "You tried your best, Oshawott. I'm proud of you!" She turned to Athena. "Phew... Athena, you sure are gonna be one awesome Trainer!"

"Thanks! You, too! Oshawott did such a great job!"

"Thank you! I plan on really working with her, so that next time, we'll beat you!"

Cheren pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Um... Look around, would you?" he said in a tense voice.

Athena and Bianca both looked around at the completely destroyed room. They froze for a moment, not believing that they didn't notice such demolition during their battle.

"W-what?! How did... When did...?!" Bianca stuttered.

"I can't _believe _that you two didn't notice!" Cheren scolded. "Imagine what Athena's mother will say once she sees this monstrosity!"

"Pokemon are _mind-blowing!_ And to think that they're still so young and weak... I'm so glad we got to battle!" Bianca saw the distressed look on Athena's face as she continued to look around her destroyed room. "Oh, um... Sorry, Athena..."

Athena shook her head. "No, it's fine... I'll just clean it all up before we leave for our journey."

"You... are completely hopeless, aren't you?" Cheren told Bianca. "Let me see Oshawott. She'll need to be healed before we go. Tepig, too, Athena. I think some Pokemon food and some potion will do... Bianca, did you pack the Pokemon Food?"

"Yeah! Here-"

Cheren fed both of the tired Pokemon and sprayed potion onto their scrapes and bruises. Before long, they were in full health once again. Snivy was dully staring around the room and out the window as all of this was going on—she seemed quite bored.

"There," Cheren said. "They are both back to full health. We should leave soon—We need to meet the Professor ten o'clock."

"But we still have thirty minutes!" Bianca whined. "Can't we stay back and battle some more?"

"The earlier we meet the Professor the better; then we'll get a head start towards Accumula Town. _Plus, _I don't think Athena's room can take much more..."

"Oh, fiiine... Oshawott, let's go." She looked around the room, looking for her Pokemon that was not in sight. "...Oshawott?"

All three of them started to search frantically around the room. Under the bed, behind the dresser, the TV... But she was no where to be found. Athena turned her attention to the open window, and saw a little white and blue creature scurrying towards the forest.

_"There!" _She yelled in fright. "Oshawott is heading towards the forest!"

"She's _what?!" _Bianca exclaimed.

"Outside! She must've jumped down from the window!"

"Oh no! This is _bad!"_

"Wait, how did she jump down? Isn't this room on the second floor?" Cheren asked.

"Like this-" Athena put Tepig away in his Pokeball, then punched upwards on the window to make it stick and grabbed the top. She climbed up on the windowsill and swung herself out, making her fly towards the old oak tree in the side yard feet-first. Athena grabbed one of the strongest branches nearer to the ground, making herself flip like a gymnast on the uneven bars. She let go after the first flip to prevent splinters and stuck the landing with great elegance.

"Oshawott could've jumped from the window to the tree, then made her way down and out towards the forest." Cheren and Bianca gawked at her. She giggled and said, "What? How did you think I used to meet up with you guys so quickly when we went to the lake at night?"

"That's besides the point!" Cheren informed them with a push of his glasses. "We've got to go get Oshawott before she gets too far, or worse, hurt."

"Right. I'll go ahead. You guys come down and split up once you get to the forest, okay? It'd be better if we looked separately."

"Alright!" Bianca agreed while heading for the door, Cheren following. He paused for a moment and ran back to the window. "Be careful, alright?"

"Of course!" Athena called back as she ran towards the forest flourishing with evergreens and mayflowers.

She sprinted in the direction she saw Bianca's new Pokemon go and dashed past the trees' lashing branches. As Athena got in deeper and deeper, she had to rely on her instincts to find Oshawott. She new that going at it without a clue of which way to go would be dangerous, but she wasn't going to let her best friend lose her very first Pokemon. After all, her father had told her that their friendship was the most important thing.


End file.
